...."Bourgeois also served prison time in the United States for his protests of the School of the Americas at Fort Benning, Ga., which Bourgeois and other critics link the school to human rights abuses by its Latin American alumni. .This past weekend he led the 22nd annual protest at a school at Fort Benning, Ga.Sevre-Duszynska participated in protests at Fort Benning, serving a 90-day sentence for trespassing there in 2002. She called Bourgeois “a priest and prophet of the grassroots. He is helping to midwife, to nourish the beginnings of a new church.In a written statement, Bourgeois said he joined the Maryknoll order “because of its work for justice and equality in the world.”“To be expelled from Maryknoll and the priesthood for believing that women are also called to be priests is very difficult and painful,” he continued.“The Vatican and Maryknoll can dismiss me, but they cannot dismiss the issue of gender equality in the Catholic Church. ”His only regret, he wrote, “is that it took me so long to confront the issue of male power and domination in the Catholic Church.”

Excellent article on the Vatican's dismissal of Fr. Roy Bourgeois for his support of women priests by Tom Roberts! The Vatican does not punish the cardinals who nearly destroyed the church and the many bishops who covered up clergy sexual abuse. Their greatest fear- women priests and our supporters. Wow! That says it all! I wonder how Catholics will respond to this latest Vatican outrage! I think it is time to redirect their gifts to supporting women priests and our inclusive communities where all are welcome to receive sacraments! Bridget Mary Meehan, arcwp (Association of Roman Catholic Women Priests)

"Ah, they finally got him, as we all knew they probably would. Eventually. And with a press release it was done: Fr. Roy Bourgeois, a Maryknoll priest for 45 years, was told that the Vatican "dispenses" him "from his sacred bonds."

And the Maryknoll Fathers and Brothers, caught in the culture that finds advocating for women's ordination such a grievous and unpardonable offense, "warmly thanks" Roy "for his service to mission and all members wish him well in his personal life."And so it goes, as Vonnegut would say. So it goes.Bourgeois' case is a prime illustration of what, today, the institution can and can't tolerate. Bourgeois' major offense, the sin that is unforgiveable in the eyes of the church, for which penalty is removal from the order which he has served for nearly half a century and dismissal from the community, was advocating for women's ordination.

It's a clear case: the priest attended a woman's ordination ceremony and, as the release noted, his "disobedience and preaching against the teaching of the Catholic Church about women's ordination led to his excommunication, dismissal and laicization."

The three biggies, all at once, all wrapped up in less than four years' time.

-----------------

The point has by now been made by countless readers and others who see the gaping discrepancy in what church leaders finds tolerable and intolerable. But it is worth stating once more, in public and for the record.

-----------------

He then goes on to discuss 'The Cardinals Who Nearly Destroyed the Church'.

The point to be made, now that Bourgeois is out, is an obvious one. There are cardinals who have had as much to do as any individual might with the near destruction of once grand Catholic communities in places like Boston and Philadelphia, who have been permitted to remain priests and go quietly into retirement.

Not a word has been said by Rome or by his successors about Cardinal Anthony Bevilacqua who had a large space in Philadelphia's chancery office that was filled with files recounting sexual abuse of children.

Bevilacqua oversaw priests who were involved in nothing short of sexual torture of youngsters. And he hid their deeds until the statutes of limitation kicked in and the priests could no longer be prosecuted. They would retire, and he would escape the law and any Vatican sanction until he could retire.

His successor, Cardinal Justin Rigali, ignored the charter that the bishops themselves had been forced to construct in the course of the scandal. He violated the church's rules and likely violated civil law by not reporting alleged abusers. And off he quietly went, as a middle manager in the chancery office headed to jail.

Cardinal Bernard Law, everyone knows, had to leave Boston because of the enormous public pressure and the outrage of his priests, but he took a cushy job in Rome and retained his seats on at least six powerful Vatican congregations, including the Congregation for Bishops, until he was allowed to quietly retire.

In Kansas City, Mo., Bishop Robert Finn, convicted in September of one count of failing to notify police that one of his priests had taken hundreds of lewd photographs of children, is still a bishop.

Finn recently attended a national meeting of bishops, and not one of them publicly raised the issue. The body of bishops, which has repeatedly apologized for unspecified "mistakes" in the handling of the abuse crisis and repeatedly promised transparency and accountability, couldn't bring itself to mention the glaring contradiction and hypocrisy in its midst.

Not a word from the Vatican. Not a word from Cardinal Timothy Dolan, president of the conference. All were silent. And not a word from Finn about the damage and expense he has already cost the diocese.

What's glaringly clear is what's tolerable and what's not tolerable to the all-male, celibate culture of hierarchy.

Roy Bourgeois wanted to talk about the rights of women in the church. That's the ecclesial crime that will get you kicked out."

(Janice Sevre-Duszynska, ARCWP, Miriam Dugan, Fr. Roy Bourgeois on outskits of VaticanPhoto CNS)The Vatican is under fire for dismissing Fr. Roy Bourgeois for supporting women priests. Now, more priests, like former head of Maryknoll, Fr. John Silvalon, is expressing support for women priests. Jesuit Bill Brenna co-presided at a liturgy on Nov. 17, 2012 in Columbus, GA. with Janice Sevre-Duszysnka. Now what do you think the CDF/Vaican Inquisitors are going to do to a 93 year-old prophetic Jesuit?In my view, the Vatican is the gift that keeps on giving. Every time they take action against women priests, we are blessed and grow! Happy Thanksgiving!Bridget Mary Meehan, ARCWP, www.arcwp.org (See article below)

"A former head of the Maryknoll Fathers and Brothers has expressed support for Roy Bourgeois, saying the longtime peace activist and priest has a "deep love for the church" and his dismissal from the order by the Vatican represents meddling in Maryknoll's affairs.In his first statement since the dismissal, Bourgeois said Tuesday, "The Vatican and Maryknoll can dismiss me, but they cannot dismiss the issue of gender equality in the Catholic Church."The Vatican's Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith has "interfered with the integrity of the society," said Maryknoll Fr. John Sivalon, who served as the order's superior general from 2002 to 2008."It makes it very hard to consider how we talk about mission and visioning for the future and being open to the Spirit, when in fact we're being dictated to that this is what we need to follow," Sivalon told NCR Tuesday. "And so I think there is a question about the society itself and how the integrity of the society has been affected by this."The Vatican congregation dismissed Bourgeois, a member of Maryknoll for 45 years who had come under scrutiny for his support of women's ordination, from the order in October, the Maryknoll Fathers and Brothers announced in a press release Monday.In his statement responding to his dismissal, Bourgeois said his expulsion from Maryknoll "is very difficult and painful.""When there is an injustice, silence is the voice of complicity. My conscience compelled me to break my silence and address the sin of sexism in my Church," Bourgeois writes in the statement, which was posted Tuesday afternoon at the website of the Women's Ordination Conference."My only regret is that it took me so long to confront the issue of male power and domination in the Catholic Church," Bourgeois wrote.Sivalon said Bourgeois supports women's ordination "out of a very deep love for the church.""That love for the church just is expressed in his belief that the hierarchical part of the church is becoming less and less relevant in the world and to changes in the world," he said. "It's probably with profound sadness that he himself looks upon how that hierarchy has moved away. I think it's just a sign of his love that he has taken the position."Dominican Fr. Tom Doyle, a canon lawyer acting on Bourgeois' behalf, said Monday neither he nor Bourgeois was aware of the full scope of the Vatican's move until seeing the press release from Maryknoll on the matter.Maryknoll's membership was first informed in the same press release, and the society has not made available the letter from the Vatican congregation dismissing Bourgeois, Sivalon said.Requests for comment on the matter Tuesday were not immediately returned by the Maryknoll Fathers and Brothers.Bourgeois first learned of the news Monday afternoon in a phone call from a Maryknoll priest who had called to ask Bourgeois to come up to the order's New York headquarters for a meeting, Doyle said.Bourgeois asked the priest the purpose of the meeting, and Doyle said the priest replied that the order had received a letter from the Vatican congregation dismissing Bourgeois both from the order and the priesthood.Bourgeois then asked if the society would hold off on making an announcement about the matter until he could meet with them and see a copy of the letter, Doyle said. They refused."Roy did not see the content of this news release until I printed a copy up and sent it to him by fax," Doyle said.The Vatican's removal of Bourgeois, Sivalon said, "raises questions about how open the society can be to explain avenues of being in mission in different ways."Prior to the congregation's dismissal of the priest, "the society was moving toward a much more Kingdom-centered, Reign of God-centered kind of understanding of its mission and service to that, and this raises questions about it," said the former superior general."My own position would be of support for women's ordination and opening up ministry to others," Sivalon said, "and I think it would be the position of probably many in leadership in Maryknoll.""I think all of us, looking at what's happening in the church today, think that it's just becoming less and less relevant and less and less open to the possibility that the Spirit is speaking through the world and speaking through others," Sivalon said. "I think people that know Roy would still look upon him as a priest and respect him as a priest, no matter what the congregation has done."Bourgeois' role in Maryknoll had been in question since his presence at the ordination of Roman Catholic Womanpriest Janice Sevre-Duszynska in August 2008.Shortly after that ordination, Bourgeois was notified by the Vatican congregation that he had incurred a latae sententiae, or automatic, excommunication for his participation at the event.Maryknoll asked Bourgeois to publicly recant his support of women's ordination, telling the priest in a March 2011 letter he faced laicization and removal from the order if he did not comply.In a series of letters and interviews since then, Bourgeois has said he could not comply with the request for reasons of conscience.Maryknoll's leadership took a vote on removing Bourgeois from the order in the spring. While the order would confirm at the time that a vote had taken place, it would not comment on its outcome.Doyle told NCR at the time that Maryknoll Fr. Mike Duggan, the U.S. regional superior of the order, informed Bourgeois of the vote, which was a split decision. Doyle said Duggan told him two council members voted in favor of dismissal and three members abstained.Monday's statement from Maryknoll states that Bourgeois' "disobedience and preaching against the teaching of the Catholic Church about women's ordination led to his excommunication, dismissal and laicization.""With this parting, the Maryknoll Society warmly thanks Roy Bourgeois for his service to mission and all members wish him well in his personal life," the statement concludes. "In the spirit of equity and charity, Maryknoll will assist Mr. Bourgeois with this transition."Doyle said he and Bourgeois would discuss the possibilities for appeal of the decision once they are able to see a copy of the letter from the Vatican congregation."As Catholics, we profess that God created men and women of equal worth and dignity," Bourgeois wrote in his statement Tuesday."As priests, we profess that the call to the priesthood comes from God, only God. Who are we, as men, to say that our call from God is authentic, but God's call to women is not? The exclusion of women from the priesthood is a grave injustice against women, our Church and our loving God who calls both men and women to be priests."Several canon lawyers contacted by NCR for background on the issues surrounding dismissal of a priest from a religious order said it is unclear how the Vatican congregation was able to act on the matter". See:Canon lawyers: Vatican's role ambiguous in Bourgeois' removal for more.
[Joshua J. McElwee is an NCR staff writer. His email address is jmcelwee@ncronline.org.]

"I thank my God every time I remember you. In all my prayers for allof you, I always pray with joy because of your partnership in the gospel
﻿

ARCWP Priestly Ordination of Diane Dougherty in Atlanta on Oct. 20, 2012, Metropolitan Community Church

from the first day until now, being confident of this, that Godwho began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until theday of Christ Jesus." Philippians 1:3-6On this day of thanksgiving for our blessings, we give thanks for all those who are working for justice and peace around the world including women's ordination in the Catholic Church.

We give thanks for family, friends and our Roman Catholic Women Priests Movement. We give thanks for a renewed inclusive Christ-centered, justice seeking Catholic Church that is emerging in more and more places in Europe, the United States, Canada, and Latin America.
﻿

We give thanks for prophets like Roy Bourgeois, and the hundreds of priests, like Jesuit Bill Brennan, who are standing up publically for the full equality of women, including women priests, in the Roman Catholic Church. Bridget Mary Meehan, ARCWP, Association of Roman Catholic Women Priests, www.arcwp.org
﻿

NEW! Possible Appeal and Condemnation of CDF/Vatican Move by former Maryknoll Superior Generalhttp://ncronline.org/news/vatican/former-maryknoll-head-decries-vatican-interference-bourgeois-case"A former head of the Maryknoll Fathers and Brothers has expressed support for Roy Bourgeois, saying the longtime peace activist and priest has a "deep love for the church" and his dismissal from the order by the Vatican represents meddling in Maryknoll's affairs.In his first statement since the dismissal, Bourgeois said Tuesday, "The Vatican and Maryknoll can dismiss me, but they cannot dismiss the issue of gender equality in the Catholic Church."The Vatican's Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith has "interfered with the integrity of the society," said Maryknoll Fr. John Sivalon, who served as the order's superior general from 2002 to 2008."It makes it very hard to consider how we talk about mission and visioning for the future and being open to the Spirit, when in fact we're being dictated to that this is what we need to follow," Sivalon told NCR Tuesday. "And so I think there is a question about the society itself and how the integrity of the society has been affected by this..."The story of Fr. Roy being dismissed from Maryknoll by the CDF is moving to the mainstream media. Reuters http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/11/20/us-vatican-priest-idUSBRE8AJ1JF20121120

Father Roy Bourgeous , an internationally renowned U.S. Maryknoll priest has been excommunicated , dismissed from his Maryknoll Order and laicised from the priesthood for what his order calls his ‘disobedience and preaching against the teachings of the Catholic Church about women’s ordination’.

Last month the Vatican’s Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith had instructed the Maryknoll order to dismiss Fr. Bourgeous.

Fr. Bourgeous was a member of the Maryknoll order for 45 years and a priest for the past 39 years.

He was also very active in the International peace movement especially in Latin America.

‘This suppression of any discussion within the Catholic Church on women’s ordination is an unacceptable infringement of Christian thought and must be resisted especially by the Catholic faithful. We are Church Ireland encourage concerned Catholics to contact the Maryknoll Order at Email mkweb@maryknoll.org and express their great sense of betrayal by the Maryknoll Order in not defending Fr. Roy Bourgeous from the dictates of the Vatican’s Congregation for the Doctrine of the faith’

stated Brendan Butler spokesperson ,We are Church.

On Friday 23rd November at 11 a.m. Mr. Brendan Butler will hand in a letter of protest about the dismissal of Fr . Roy and a call for the lifting on the ban on women priests to the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith , Rome , Italy

Tuesday, November 20, 2012

Yesterday we received the sad news that Maryknoll has chosen
to dismiss the voice of one of their own who has spent over 40 years of
ministry following his conscience and standing up for the oppressed.

Fr. Roy refused to be silenced when his conscience dictated
that he speak out, you can support him by sharing his story and continuing to
have conversations about the unjust power structures in the church.

1.Share the story. Fr.Roy Bourgeois has written
a booklet about his own faith
journey and discernment of conscience.He
encourages you to use his story as a conversation starter with your own
friends, family and community.You can
also send copies of the book to your friends, priest, local news editor and
others in your community.

4.“The
Vatican and Maryknoll can dismiss me, but they cannot dismiss the issue of
gender equality in the Catholic Church. The demand for gender equality is
rooted in justice and dignity and will not go away.” ~ Fr. Roy Bourgeois

Our prayers are with Roy Bourgeois, man of conscience, priest of the people, prophet for justice in the Catholic Church. In his response to the Vatican Dismissal, Roy wrote: " As Catholics, we profess that God created men and women of equal worth and dignity. As priests, we profess that the call to the priesthood comes from God, only God. Who are we, as men, to say that our call from God is authentic, but God's call to women is not? The exclusion of women from the priesthood is a grave injustice against women, our Church and our loving God who calls both men and women to be priests.When there is an injustice, silence is the voice of complicity. My conscience compelled me to break my silence and address the sin of sexism in my Church. My only regret is that it took me so long to confront the issue of male power and domination in the Catholic Church."http://bridgetmarys.blogspot.com/2012/11/vaatican-dismisses-fr-roy-bourgeois.htmlSee More

Let us support Roy Bourgeois, a courageous prophet, with our prayers and by breaking the silence about women's ordination in solidarity with over 150 women priests who are living justice in inclusive communities now in the United States, Canada, South America and Europe. Janice Sevre-Duszynska, ARCWP, 859-684-4247, rhythmsofthdance@gmail.comBridget Mary Meehan, ARCWP, 703-505-0004, 703-671-6712 sofiabmm@aol.comwww.arcwp.org

I have been a Catholic
priest in the Maryknoll community for 40 years. As a young man I joined
Maryknoll because of its work for justice and equalityin the world. To be expelled from Maryknoll and the priesthood for
believing that women are also called to be priests is very difficult and
painful.

The Vatican and
Maryknoll can dismiss me, but they cannot dismiss the issue of gender equality in
the Catholic Church. The demand for gender equality is rooted in justice and
dignity and will not go away.

As Catholics, we
profess that God created men and women of equal worth and dignity. As priests,
we profess that the call to the priesthood comes from God, only God. Who are
we, as men, to say
that our call from God is authentic, but God's call to women is not? The
exclusion of women from the priesthood is a grave injustice against women, our
Church and our loving God who calls bothmen and
women to be priests.

When there is an
injustice, silence is the voice of complicity.My conscience compelled me to break my silence and address the sin of
sexism in my Church. My only regret is that it took me so long to confront the
issue of male power and domination in the
Catholic Church.

I have explained my position on the
ordination of women, and how I came to it, in my booklet, My Journey from Silence to Solidarity. Please go to: www.roybourgeoisjourney.org.

The Vatican's surprise dismissal of Fr. Roy Bourgeois is a power play meant to intimidate supportive priests of the international Roman Catholic Women Priests' Movement. It will not work. Roman Catholic Women Priests are a spiritual revolution that is shaking up the Vatican.Vatican opposition to the international Roman Catholic Women Priests Movement is the gift that keeps on giving. Hundreds of priests in Europe are on record as supporters of women's ordination. One recent example is Jesuit Bill Brennan , who co-presided with Janice Sevre-Duszynska, a Roman Catholic Women Priest at a Progressive Catholic liturgy on Nov. 17, 2012. More and more Catholics welcome women priests' led liturgies in inclusive communities where all are welcome at the table. Fr. Roy may no longer be a Maryknoll priest according to the Vatican, but he will always be a prophetic priest of the people. Fr. Roy confronted the "old boys network" in the Vatican with the truth; sexism is a sin that is always wrong. Fr. Roy Bourgois's courageous prophetic witness to Gospel equality is a lesson that the Vatican needs, but resists because they are afraid of women priests. Yes, gentlemen, we represent change in the clerical model. Our renewed model of priestly ministry advocates oneness with the people we serve, not separation or a spiritual class system with the hierarchy on top and the laity on the bottom. Gospel equality is our motto. All the baptized are "Persona Christi", not just the priests as the Vatican proclaims. All Catholics are called to be followers of Jesus who treated women as disciples and equals. The Risen Christ chose Mary of Magdala to the be the apostle to the apostles. Women were ordained during the first thousand years of the church's history. The institutional church cannot continue to discriminate against women and blame God for it. Roman Catholic Women Priests are a breath of fresh air in the Catholic Church, and a holy shakeup whose time has come. Kudos to Fr. Roy and the hundreds of male priests who publically stand for justice in the Catholic Church, challenging the "elephant in the living room" of institutional sexism! The time for the full equality of women in the Catholic Church has come. Thank you, Fr. Roy, for your courage and solidarity. Our prayers are with you.Bridget Mary Meehan, ARCWPAssociation of Roman Catholic Women Priestswww.arcwp.orgsofiabmm@aol.com703-505-0004703-671-6712

National Catholic Reporter' Nov. 19, 2012"Roy Bourgeois, a longtime peace activist and priest who had come under scrutiny for his support of women's ordination, has been dismissed from the Maryknoll Fathers and Brothers, which he served for 45 years, according to the congregation.The Vatican's Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith made the dismissal in October, according to a news release issued Monday afternoon by the Maryknoll Fathers and Brothers.Dominican Fr. Tom Doyle, a canon lawyer acting on Bourgeois' behalf, told NCR he was not aware of the move.Doyle said he and Bourgeois met with Maryknoll's superior general, Fr. Edward Dougherty, in June, and the issue of dismissal had not been discussed."The idea then was that things would continue and they would not dismiss Roy and they would continue to dialogue," Doyle said. "And then this just happened, unilaterally. [Bourgeois] had no idea..."http://www.catholicnews.com/data/stories/cns/1204900.htm

On the day that we read about the Vatican Mandate of clerical dress, (see link to story in blog)women are, like Miriam in the Hebrew Scriptures, Janice Sevre-Duszynska, ARCWP and 150 Roman Catholic Women Priests worldwide celebrating our liberation from sexism in the church in partnership with male priests like Jesuit Fr. Bill Brennan, Franciscan Jerry Zawada, and Maryknoll Roy Bourgeois. (See Press Release with story on blog below.)The social justice teaching of the church embraces justice for women including women in the church!Amen to the dance of liberation in solidarity with the marginalized on the margins! The Association of Roman Catholic Women Priests are proud to stand in solidarity with all peace and justice movements. Here Janice Sevre-Duszynska, ARCWP and Katy Zatsick, ARCWP and supporters of SOA Vigil Watch carry ARCWP banner outside Ft. Benning, GA.